Wades & Measures
by Gerardain
Summary: Kim made a choice that changed the world, but she wasn't the only one. This is Wade's story and how his choices helped make the world what it is today. Part of the Morality's Choice universe.
1. Part 1

_Standard Disclaimer : Disney owns Kim Possible, all it's characters, locations and other such stuff._

**Kim Possible: Morality's Choice - Wades & Measures - Part 1**

Wade Load was a thinker, not a fighter and it was this fact that had changed first his life and then the world.

It was apparent from a young age that Wade Load was a genius without peer. When other kids were struggling with basic math and spelling Wade was immersed in a high school level education and that gap would only grow as he did. Wade would eventually learn the price for his genius though when a down and out super villain still bent on world domination kidnapped him, his intent to use Wade's genius for his own twisted purposes quit clear.

A genius though he was Wade was still a child and the experience had been terrifying. He spent each day in constant fear for his life as he was forced to build one diabolical machine after another, such terrible things that he knew the villain would inflict upon the world. It had seemed a helpless situation, that he would spend the rest of his short life slaving away for a mad man. That was until his rescue came in the form of a young teenage girl named Kim Possible. To Wade she was an angel, an answer to the begging prayers he had made each night.

Soon enough he had been returned home safely, but not returned as the same person who had left. He now knew the horrible kind of people that lurked outside his house, the horrible kind of world that allowed those people to exist and so he no longer wanted to leave his room, to venture outside of the one place he knew was safe. Instead, in need of a way to repay the one person who had saved him, he turned his genius to helping Kim Possible, the one person he trusted with his life.

A quick search had revealed her poorly constructed website advertising the very help she brought him. He had thought at the time that it was rather poor and unfitting for someone so brave and kind so he took it upon himself to re-design it for her, to better show the world just how big a hero she was. She had been flattered by the action, yet he didn't stop there. He now knew the kind of people she would face every time she left her house, all the evil that hid around ever corner and in every dark shadow and so he sent her gadget after gadget in earnest attempt to arm her against the world itself. She had turned them away at first, insisting that as sweet as his help was all the help she ever really needed came from her friend Ron Stoppable. Yet he did not take no for an answer and though it took a year of persistence she finally began to accept his help.

It was a relationship that had started out of tragedy but grew to be symbiotic. Kim Possible gave him a reason to believe that there was something more then darkness lurking outside his door and he in turn gave her the tools that would become iconic to her heroic career. He looked back on that time as a paradise, happy for times that they had had. Paradise never lasts however and as Wade sat in the glow of his many monitors, the news of Kim's latest acts as head of Global Justice filling the screen, he thought about just how far gone those times truly were and how he had lost a battle he had never even fought.

_:Some time ago:_

He had been with her that day, the day she found out. Though it was only his holographic stand-in he saw everything it did and both stood aghast as Bonnie and Ron's lips met. Though his mind could comprehend sciences and formulas far beyond the grasp of most it couldn't seem to make sense of what it was currently seeing. Kim has said something in that moment, something he hadn't heard but would always wonder about, and then turned and ran. His holo-wade could have followed her, could have tracked her down, but he had thought at the time, after the initial shock had worn off, that leaving her alone to sort out her feelings would be the smart thing to do. What could he have really said to her to make it better? What could he really done for her in that moment? He knew the answer, nothing. If Kim was a computer he could have fixed it then, he could have deleted her memory or created a patch to heal her heart but she wasn't, she was something he had no idea how to really deal with, human.

_:The next night:_

He still hadn't yet talked to her when the hit cropped up on his network. It was a silent alarm for a downtown warehouse, a simple robbery that the police could have handled, but to Wade it was a way to talk to Kim, to be helpful to her when he had no other way. If he could get her mind off what had happened, even if only for a few hours then maybe…maybe he wouldn't feel so useless. He dialed into her kimmunicator and did his best to sound as normal as he could.

"Kim, I know your probably not feeling really up for much right now but…"

Kim's face stared back at him with sad eyes and she spoke with an equally sad tone.

"I'm not really in a crime fighting mood right now Wade."

Wade closed his eyes so he would not have to see her looking so sad. He loved it when she smiled at him, but this…she needed to get her mind off what had happened and he knew that the only way she was going to do that was if he gave her something else to focus on whether she wanted it or not.

"I promise this is an easy mission, just a silent alarm at a warehouse downtown. You need a distraction Kim, something to take your mind off what happened. Please? For me?"

Kim gave a small sigh.

"Maybe your right, it couldn't hurt I guess. Send me the address."

Wade gave his patented grin and typed a few keystrokes into his keyboard. It was nice to know he could be persuasive when he needed to be.

_:A few nights later:_

As he often did, more often then not really, Wade slept right at his desk. It's not that he didn't have a bed, it's just he liked to be within reach of his systems in case Kim ever called or his guild wanted to go on a raid. He had been dozing lightly when a small alarm went off and woke him up, just moments before Ron Stoppable appeared on his screen. Wade was surprised and somewhat apprehensive. He hadn't spoken to Ron about what he had seen, he had decided that it wasn't his place to step into something that was clearly between Kim and Ron, but a part of him felt angry at Ron for doing that to Kim and wanted nothing more then to let Ron know it. As he did his best to restrain that part of himself, he considered how odd it was that Ron was calling him. Ron almost never called him and the fact that he spoke before Wade had so much as said hello was even odder to the computer genius.

"Wade no time to talk, I need to find Kim."

Wade furrowed his brow slightly. Ron's tone sounded almost desperate. "Are you Ok Ron? You seem... "

Ron's reply verged on shouting.

"WADE!"

Wade was taken aback slightly. Whatever was going on was obviously urgent. He typed a few keystrokes into his keyboard and brought up the communicator tracking program he had created. It displayed a map of Middleton that bore two orange dots. One healthy glowing orange dot sat at the coordinates for Ron's house, but the other…hmmm….

"That's odd. The signal from her kimmunicator is coming from a warehouse downtown. Here's the address. The really odd thing is I think that used to be a villain's hideout...Dementors...or was it Drakkens…"

"Great. Thanks Wade. Now I know this is going to sound weird but you have to trust me. Call GJ, call the cops, call anyone who will come and send them to that address."

Wade was used to Kim being in tight spots, it seemed like every other week she was getting caught by a villain, but for Ron to ask him to call Global Justice meant that whatever was going on was much much worse then Kim's normal problems. The concern and worry that this idea created in him was obvious as he spoke.

"Ron, Is Kim Ok? Is she hurt?"

"It's not Kim I'm worried about"

It wasn't the sort of reply he had been expecting. If Kim wasn't the one in trouble then who was? Could this somehow have something to do with what happened? Wade knew the only way to find out was to ask.

"Is this about…"

He was surprised when the link went dead before he even finished his sentence. He tried to bring it back up but there was no response from Ron's end. Having Ron hang up on him did little to assuage the worry that was growing larger and larger within him, but the urgency in Ron's words told him that he didn't have time to worry, he had a call to make.

He steeled himself as he dialed into Global Justice's communication lines. They weren't going to be happy that he had hacked in but Ron's tone made it clear he really didn't have time to go through the normal channels and this was the fastest way to get a hold of someone who would listen. That someone turned out to be the leader of Global Justice as the scowling face of Betty Director filled his screens. She was, as he had predicted, not at all happy to see him.

"This is a secure channel. You have exactly 10 seconds to explain who you are and why you have hacked into government communication software before a squad of heavily armed men are sent to your location to detain you."

Though her tone was sharp enough to unnerve him, Wade barreled though his apprehension.

"Miss Director my name is Wade Load, I'm Kim Possible's computer associate, that is I run her website…"

At the mention of Kim's name Betty's face seem to soften ever so slightly. Wade knew Kim had met with Global Justice before and evidently those meetings had left a favorable impression.

"I see. I will assume that you broke several government rules and risked a life in prison because it is important."

Wade gulped slightly. He had to tread lightly given how little he actually knew. His best bet was to go with what he knew would work and what his gut was telling him the situation meant.

"It is. Kim is in immense danger and needs help."

Betty raised an eyebrow, her interest piqued.

"What is the nature of the danger?"

Wade faltered, unsure of how to reply. He could lie and make something up but he had never been a good liar and he knew she would probably see right though it.

"I…don't know. All I know is it is bad enough that Ron begged me to call you so it must be something extremely bad. Please, you've got to send a squad of men out to help Ron and Kim. I'm sending you the address now."

Betty's tone remained cool and collected as she spoke.

"Very well Mr. Load, I will see to it that a squad of men is dispatched immediately. Miss Possible has helped the world more times then it knows, such an action is the least we owe her."

Wade felt as if he should say something in reply but he found himself surprisingly lacking in a response. He struggled for a moment, but unable to come up with anything truly worth the effort he simply thanked Betty Director and closed the connection. Though he could not contain the worry that he knew was showing on his face, he knew inwardly that he had done all he could to help Kim, he only hoped it would be enough and more importantly be in time. He gave a quiet yawn, the drowsiness of being woken up so suddenly still pulling at him, and did the only thing he could do, the one thing he always did when he knew Kim was in danger, he waited for news.

- - - - -

That news did not come until much later, early into the morning of the next day. He found himself again startled awake by the beeping of his computer, this time completely unaware of having fallen asleep. He had only moments to clear his mind as the dour face of Ron Stoppable again filled his screens. This time however Ron did not speak right away, instead he just stared ahead as if he wasn't quite aware of what he was currently doing. This did nothing to assuage Wade, who found the silence an ill omen.

"Ron. What's wrong? What happened? Is Kim ok?"

Still Ron said nothing, he just continued to stare sadly ahead. It wasn't until Wade was about to shout in frustration and worry that Ron finally spoke, his eyes seemingly sparking with the recognition of what he was doing. The reply, however, did not help matters.

"It's my fault Wade. It's all because of me. She left because of me."

It was maddening to Wade that Ron was being so vague with his response. Didn't Ron understand how worried his last call had made Wade and now this?

"What do you mean she left Ron? She left where? What happened last night?"

Instead of answering the question Ron took a deep breathe and sighed, as if he was struggling to get out what he wanted to say.

"Wade…you should know…no…I need to tell you everything that's been going on. A lot of bad things happened last night Wade and…and its all because of what I did."

Wade did his best to listen as Ron told him about everything that had happened between him and Bonnie. He told Wade about how bad things had gotten with Kim, about how things had started between him and Bonnie and how far that had gone. As he spoke Wade found that despite himself he was getting angry at Ron again. He had wondered how Ron could hurt Kim like he had done, but hearing the reason, hearing what lead to that kiss that day, he found that the answer didn't make him understand, it just made him angry. Things might have been going bad between Ron and Kim but that didn't give Ron the right to sneak off behind Kim's back. Even if what he claimed was true, that it had started off as innocent friendship, when Ron knew it was turning into more then that what had he done? Nothing. He hadn't told Kim a word about it, he had let her go on not knowing the truth, until the day it had exploded in his face and broken Kim's heart.

Despite the anger though, Wade continued to listen. He listened as Ron recounted the events in the warehouse, of Kim's actions and her escape and he listened as Ron told him about Betty Director's plans.

"…and now she's trying to get together a team to go after Kim. Please Wade, we need you…I need you. If you can help us find Kim then there might be a chance to save her. If I can just apologies, explain how sorry I am…I need you to help me make it better."

Ron trailed off, obviously waiting for Wade to say yes, but Wade remain silent. Everything that had happened…it all led back to that day and he had stupidly let her run off, he had let her go without saying anything. He couldn't help her then but now…maybe he could help her now. He knew for once exactly what to say.

"No."

Ron's face took on a shocked look, not wholly unexpected by Wade. Ron appeared to have been completely unprepared for Wade to give such an answer.

"No? What do you mean no? Wade we have to find Kim, we have to help her, we have to…"

Wade cut him off. This time he didn't hide the anger he felt.

"We? There is no we Ron. You were right this is your fault, you did this to her, you made her do that and now you want me to help Global Justice track her down so they can arrest her for one mistake she made because of you?"

Ron shook his head.

"Wade I'm not going to let them arrest her I promise."

Wade looked incredulous at Ron's statement.

"You promise? You PROMISE? Like you promised Kim you wouldn't hurt her? You took the one person in this world I knew was good and you broke her and you expect me to trust you?"

Ron look hurt by the words.

"Wade I'm not trying to hurt Kim, I'm trying to fix what happened. I know I screwed up, I'm sorry, god am I sorry, but without your help there is no guarantee I will ever get a chance to make this right."

"This isn't about you Ron. This is about Kim."

Ron paused, seemingly unsure of how to reply.

"Your right Wade, it is about Kim. It's about helping her when she needs it. How can you sit there and turn your back on her after everything she did for you?"

"I am helping her Ron. I'm helping her by not helping you. You can claim all you want that they won't arrest her after what she did but you know as well as I do that that's a lie. What she needs right now is time to sort things out, to realize that one mistake made in anger isn't going to ruin her life. What you want me to do is lead the wolves right to her, so no, I'm not going to help you Ron. I'm going to trust in the one person I always have and I know she will come back because it's who she is. Goodbye Ron."

Before Ron could reply Wade cut the link and typed a few strokes into his keyboard, ensuring that for the time being Ron's spare kimmunicator wouldn't be able to connect to his system. He took a deep breathe to calm himself. He hadn't meant to let his anger get the better of him, but if Ron was going to make him choose between them then he would choose Kim every time. Ron had hurt her once and Wade wasn't going to help him get a chance to hurt her again.

He brought up the communicator tracking program to see if he could find Kim, but wasn't surprised when he saw only the dot of the spare at Ron's house. He figured Kim would have guessed that they'd try and get him to find her and had probably disabled the tracking feature. Wherever she was right now she obviously wanted to be left alone and honestly Wade didn't blame her. She was probably scared about what she had done, unsure of what to do next or who to trust. Wade knew that kind of fear, she had saved him from it when she rescued him. It was a debt he would never be able to repay, but by giving her time to find herself again, to forgive herself for the actions she had done in anger, Wade knew that he was making good on that debt, in some small measure.


	2. Part 2

_Standard Disclaimer: Disney owns Kim Possible, all it's characters, locations and other such stuff._

**Kim Possible: Morality's Choice - Wades & Measures - Part 2**

Despite what he felt was a rather clear declaration, Wade still found himself constantly besieged by pleas from Ron for aid as the days passed into weeks and the weeks into months. Though he wished his anger at Ron allowed him to, he could not totally hate Ron, not given their history of friendship. They had once been close, not as close as he and Kim had been, but close enough that Wade would have helped Ron with any request at the drop of a hat. Yet that was before…before Ron had made a mistake, one so bad that Wade wasn't willing to forgive him and with each passing plea from Ron, and each repeated statement that he would not help Ron ruin Kim's life for a simple mistake that he had caused, Wade was finding those memories of friendship harder and harder to recall.

- - - - -

Wade began the day as he did every other one since Ron had informed him of what had happened, with the emphatic belief that this would be the day that Kim would return. Unlike Ron, Wade knew it was not a matter of if but instead of when Kim would return, of when she would finally be able to forgive herself for what she done and allow herself to again be the hero she was. Were that all he began the day with the past six months would not have seemed so long, yet Wade also began the day with the knowing expectation that at some point Ron would call and beg him to help Global Justice find Kim.

As the late afternoon rolled around and Wade closed the communicator tracking program, which he checked every day in expectation of Kim's return, he was surprised to find that his knowing expectation was wrong. Instead of Ron Stoppable he found his monitors lit by the face of Betty Director, the head of Global Justice herself.

His attempt to hide his shock at her sudden appearance was less then successful.

"Miss Director? How did you…"

She cut him off, her tone cold and quite serious.

"You are not the only one who is capable of manipulating a computer Mr. Load."

"But my systems are…"

"Impressive, but hardly capable of withstanding Global Justice."

Wade made the mental note to reinforce his systems and did his best to keep his voice from wavering under the gaze of Betty Director's single eye.

"If you are going to make a plea for me to help you find Kim…"

Again she cut him off, an act which he was finding increasingly offensive.

"No Mr. Load. I am not like Mr. Stoppable, I have no interest in seeking your assistance. In point of fact I am contacting you because Mr. Stoppable is currently in no condition to do so, yet he made a rather impassioned plea that you were to be informed of what has occurred. Be aware that that is the only reason you are be given this knowledge."

Wade furrowed his brow slightly. What did she mean Ron was in no condition to contact him?

As if reading his mind she spoke.

"Kim Possible was located early this morning in a small town in Italy. The special task force that was created to deal with her was dispatched to apprehend her."

Wade felt as if the bottom had dropped out of his stomach. His worst fear had come true, Global Justice had captured Kim in spite of all she had done for them.

He felt a fresh surge of anger at the news.

"I knew Ron couldn't…"

Betty continued as if she didn't even notice he was speaking.

"Mr. Stoppable and Miss Rockwaller led the team, as they had been trained to do. Unfortunately when they came into contact with Miss Possible things did not go as planned. The details are irrelevant, however Miss Rockwaller now resides in the hospital and is currently undergoing a series of surgeries to save her life. Mr. Stoppable injures, while not quite as severe, are great indeed. He is currently waiting with I can only assume equal amounts of panic and worry for news as to if Miss Rockwaller will survive even the night."

All the anger Wade had been feeling drained away, only to be replaced by a dread chill.

"Kim wasn't…"

"Miss Possible was indeed. Despite their months of training, she beat both Miss Rockwaller and Mr. Stoppable rather soundly and it was only through a courageous act by Mr. Stoppable that both escaped with their lives."

Wade found himself at a loss for words. Kim couldn't have done that…she wouldn't have done that. Kim was a hero, she saved people, she had saved him. Kim would never intentionally hurt someone, not again. There had to be some reason, some explanation.

Wade spoke, eyes cast downward, but his voice lacked the conviction his words tried to carry.

"I don't believe you. It wasn't Kim."

If Wade had been staring at his screens instead of his feet he would have seen the look of surprise on Betty's face at his response.

"Mr. Stoppable…"

This time it was Wade who cut Betty off, raising his eyes to meet hers as he found the conviction he had been searching for.

"Was wrong. I don't care what he said. You don't know Kim like I do Miss Director, she would not do that. It had to be a clone or a look alike or mind control or something. Kim…the real Kim Possible couldn't do that, she's not like everyone else, she isn't capable of that, I am sure of it."

Betty, who had recovered from her initial surprise, looked unamused.

"What you are, Mr. Load, is a child. Mr. Stoppable has informed me of your history with Miss Possible and you are quite clearly allowing that history to cloud your judgment. You have built up this idea of what she is to the point that anything that conflicts with that ideal is automatically rejected. You have spent you life eschewing the real world for your fantasy one and now that you find yourself faced with a truth that you do not wish to accept, you have chosen to grasp at false and petty reassurances from your own mind. That is not the act of a genius Mr. Load, that is the act of a coward."

Wade's tone lost all pretense of restraint and instead took on a decidedly angry tone.

"And you are so eager to ruin her life for one mistake that you refuse to even think of any answer but the most obvious one. Kim Possible has spent her life helping the entire world and never asking anything in return, she had been nothing but a force for good in this world. Do you honestly believe that Kim could ever willingly do what your suggesting?"

Betty's answer came without a moment's hesitation.

"Yes I do. The choices one makes in their life matter Mr. Load and six months ago Miss Possible made the terrible choice to give into anger and rage. What happened this morning , what she did to Miss Rockwaller and Mr. Stoppable, is the result of that choice and what she has brought down on herself as a result of that action, the hell she has now invited onto herself, that is the consequence of that choice. There is one basic truth to humanity Mr. Load, everyone is capable of good and everyone is capable of evil, it's simply a matter of choice. Whatever you choose to believe in regards to Miss Possible Mr. Load I hope you are prepared to live with the consequences of your choice."

No sooner had she finished speaking then Wade watched her face vanish from his monitors, the connection cut. The news of Ron and Bonnie's condition played at the forefront of his mind as he sat still and silent in the dying the light of that day that still flooded into his room. Kim couldn't have done that to them…She had been angry at them yes, and yes she had made a mistake but to carry it that far…There had to be another answer, there had to be. Betty Director was wrong, Kim wasn't like normal people, she didn't have any of their darkness inside of her. Wade closed his eyes and placed his head on his desk. He wouldn't, couldn't believe that Kim could willingly do that, not after all the time they had spent together, so why did Betty's words get him so angry, why couldn't he forget them?

- - - - -

Wade still hadn't settled the confusion within himself the next day when much to his surprise Ron contacted him. True to what Betty had said Ron did not look well, but it was not his bevy of bruises that Wade found himself immediately concerned by, rather he found himself more worried by the rather cold eyes that Ron now stared at him with. As long as he had known Ron, Ron had always been a lively person and his eyes reflected that, always lit or shining or reflecting his mood, but now…now they were just cold and if they were so cold did that mean Ron…

"Wade…"

Ron's voice broke him out of his thought before he could complete it. It was just his name, but even that sounded different, less….Ron like. Wade tried his best to think of something to say.

"Ron…Are you OK? Is Bonnie OK?

"She's alive Wade, she's in a coma but she's alive."

"Ron I'm…I'm sorry for what happened."

Ron didn't appear at all affected by Wade's sentiment.

"Wade I just wanted to let you know I'm going to end it."

Wade looked slightly confused, mostly because he was.

"What do you mean?"

"Betty told me about her conversation with you, she told me about how even knowing what Kim did you still refused to believe it was her."

Hearing Ron say it made Wade feel slightly ashamed but he didn't know why.

"Ron Kim wouldn't do that to you, not even to Bonnie, you have to know that. She must have been mind controlled or brainwashed or it was clone or something. This is Kim we are talking about, your best friend since kindergarten…"

"Wade…You didn't see her, you weren't there. It was Kim, it was her. I know you refuse to believe it, maybe you just don't want to, but it was her."

Ron's tone shifted even colder as he continued.

"She smiled Wade, she smiled when she dropped Bonnie off the roof. I saw it with my own two eyes. Whatever she did for six months, wherever she went, she came back a monster. Bonnie tried to convince me, tried to make me understand, but I wouldn't listen. I held back because I didn't want to hurt her and Bonnie paid the price for it."

Ron grew quiet for a moment, as if he was lost in a thought. Before Wade could speak though he began speaking again.

"I wanted to say I'm sorry, I'm sorry for trying to force you to do something you didn't want to do. Sometimes I forget your not as old as you seem to be. I should have respected your feelings and not dragged you into this and so I'm sorry."

Wade found himself at a loss. He had never seen Ron so understating and mature and yet so cold and different at the same time.

"Ron….I…."

Wade struggled to find something to say but before he could Ron spoke again.

"It needs to end Wade, before anyone else gets hurt. She doesn't know Bonnie survived and I'm not going to let her find out and hurt Bonnie again so I'm going to end it. We've already found her and I'm going after her. I just wanted to let you know everything Wade, you deserved to know after everything you did for us. Goodbye Wade."

Before he could stop it Ron closed the communication channel. Part of him kept wondering why everyone always hung up on him before he ever got a chance to reply but the majority of him couldn't think of anything but what Ron had said. Had Kim….had she really done it? Was Ron…was Betty…was everyone right? Had Kim really done those things not because of mind control or brainwashing or..or…some other reason that he desperately wanted to believe in but by her own choosing? The confusion Wade had felt before the conversation with Ron had evolved into a raging storm that now beat against every edge of his mind. Part of him still refused to believe everyone. Kim was the eternal hero, she had saved him, she was incapable of doing these things, yet for the first real time he found himself doubting that belief. How could he continue to blindly believe that in the face of so much contradicting proof? For the first time in his life Wade didn't know the answer to a question and it scared him more then he had ever knew he could be.

_:Two days later:_

Wade prided himself on being up to date on world events, it was how he was able to get missions to Kim beyond just those who used her website, and so it was with an unbelievable amount of trepidation that Wade took in the story that was being broadcast around the world. The great teen hero Kim Possible, kidnapped, brainwashed, lost to darkness, had been rescued and brought back to the light by Global Justice. To Wade, who had been at war with himself over what to believe in…who to believe in when it came to everything that had happened with Kim, it was confirmation of everything he had said from the beginning. He had known the truth when others hadn't, had believed in Kim when others had lost faith, and any doubt he had had was now vanished leaving him with only a slight feeling of shame at having allowed it existence.

Ron was the first to contact him and though he still seemed off…unusually reserved perhaps, Wade ignored it, choosing instead to allow the past to fade into memory.

Unlike the previous times it was Wade who spoke first, a jubilant tone spilling forth..

"Ron I can't believe it. I knew Kim wouldn't have willingly done those things. You saved her Ron, you brought her back. I'm sorry I was ever angry at you for what happened."

Ron just gave a half hearted chuckle.

"Ya….I saved her…umm Wade Kim wants to talk to you"

Wade waited as Ron passed the communicator to Kim whose smiling happy face filled the screen.

"Wade! I'm so happy to see you, I've missed you so much. I'm sorry for being gone for so long."

Wade, who felt overjoyed at the mere sight of Kim's smiling face, just beamed back as big a grin as Kim gave.

"Kim I'm so glad you OK. I was worried but now your back and everything is right again."

Kim just continued smiling.

"Ron told me how you never stopped believing in me Wade. You don't know how happy that makes me."

"What happened Kim? How did Shego brainwash you?"

Kim blink slightly and looked as if she was about to say something then stopped as if she thought better of it.

"Betty says I'm not supposed to talk about it. It doesn't matter anyway Wade it's over and I'm back and I'm ready to save people again. Can you please set up the website again? Betty says I have to work with Global Justice to help atone for what I did but I also want to help people like I used to."

Wade, who was still to overjoyed at the turn of events to consider the oddities in Kim's mannerisms and speech, only nodded.

"Already began working on it Kim and you've already had hundreds of emails from people around the world expressing their happiness at your return. I'll contact you the moment you get a mission."

"Please and Thank You."

- - - - -

The following days seem to pass in a blur for Wade. Everything was back to how it should have been. Kim would get a hit on her sight and Wade would call her up and provide the transportation. It was , in Wade's mind, paradise found and one he hoped would last forever. It fell far short of forever however when Wade suddenly found himself unable to reach Kim one day. He found it a rather odd occurrence given that he had spoken with her just the previous night but initially wrote it off as her being co-opted by Global Justice for some mission. That belief lasted only until the early afternoon when, much to his surprise, his favorite rerun of Captain's Crusaders was interrupted by none other then Kim herself.

She stared silently for a moment before speaking.

"Good Evening Ladies and Gentlemen, I am sure many of you know me but for those of you who don't my name is Kim Possible. Recently many of you may have seen a story about me being kidnapped by a super villain only to be rescued by Global Justice."

Must to his frustration Wade's communication alarm choose that moment to go off, signaling an incoming communication from one of the communicators. Wade taped the mute button on his TV's remote and faced his monitors, which were once again filled with the face of Ron Stoppable who once again did not wait for Wade to speak.

"Wade are you watching TV?"

"Umm yah Ron."

Ron took a deep breathe.

"Wade I need you to trace that signal and tell me where it's being broadcast from."

Wade gave a puzzled look.

"Why?"

"It's a long story Wade and you deserve the truth, but I'm sorry I don't have the time to tell you right now. Please it's important I find Kim."

Wade felt as if once again he had been left out of a loop. With a slight worry about what Ron was avoiding telling him, he began typing into his computer, loading various programs. His face took on a puzzled look and he continued typing as he spoke.

"It looks like the signal is coming from Hong Kong…no wait Australia…no Greenland… hold on Ron, whoever is broadcasting this signal is bouncing it off towers around the world, obviously trying to stop people from finding it. It's going to take some serious skill to trace it back to it's source."

Wade made a few short key taps and grinned.

"Got it. It looks like it's being broadcast out of a TV station right here in the United States. Give me another moment and I'll have it narrowed down completely then I'll send you the address."

Ron kept glancing at the TV behind him as he waited, his face growing slightly paler as time passed. Finally Wade heard the printing function of the communicator activate and Ron breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thanks Wade….Ummm if this doesn't work I want you know…I'm sorry. I wanted it to be like it was so badly that I let them lie. I know it was wrong but…I thought it would be better, I thought it would go back to normal…"

Ron trailed off. Wade felt a foreboding sense of déjà vu as Ron didn't saying anything, choosing instead to simple close the communication link. This all seemed so similar to what had happened before…the urgent need to find Kim…the regret…Wade prayed his mind was simply seeing familiarity where there was none as he turned back to the TV.

- - - - -

It was an hour later, as he sat stunned in his chair, the words of Kim's speech still fresh in his mind, that he heard a familiar squeaky and out of breath voice. He looked down to find Rufus waving his arms in a desperate attempt to get his attention. Wade had never actually seen Rufus in person before, and he wondered how the naked mole rat knew where he lived, so it was with some shock that he picked him up and stared at him.

"Rufus? What are you doing here? How do you know where I live? Where's Ron?"

Rufus gave him a sad look and pointed to the letter that had been strapped to his back. It had been folded into such a small square that Wade had missed it at first glance but now he picked it up and unfolded it, not hesitating to read it.

"Wade,

Betty gave me your address, I don't know how she got it but when I asked her she said something about a tracer program. By the time Rufus gets this to you you'll probably have heard all of Kim's speech. You deserve to know what really happened and I'm sorry that I didn't tell you before. Shego didn't kidnap or brainwash Kim, Kim went willingly with Shego after what happened at the warehouse. I don't know why, maybe because she wanted to run away, maybe because Shego made her some kind of offer, I just know she went. I'm sorry I never told you, we were never sure that they had even been together until my last big fight with Kim. After we talked…after I said I was going after her, we fought again at the same warehouse. It was…it was horrible Wade. Even as angry as I was at her, as hard as I tried to use that anger and not hold back I was no match for her, she beat me horribly. She would have killed me if not for Betty Director who showed up at the last minute and used a reverse polarizer made by Electronique to change Kim back into her old self. Betty told the whole world I had saved her from Shego and I let her because I wanted the old Kim back so badly and I know you did to. I did it…I let them do it because I was selfish and the worst part is it didn't even work. That thing didn't make her like she was it made her something else, something that didn't know how to be anything but happy and good. I tried to pretend she was the same but it didn't work, it got to the point that I couldn't even look at her without feeling horrible. Eventually Shego broke out of prison and kidnapped Electronique and made her build another reverse polarizer to turn Kim back. I don't know what happened then, no one really does, but Betty said that Kim went after Bonnie and killed her, snapped her neck and left her for dead. She died because I wanted to believe a lie so badly…but I can't do it anymore. I'm going to the coordinates you provided and I'm going to try and stop her. I know she'll probably kill me, she always been a better fighter then I was, but I have to try and make up for everything I did. Please, hate me if you have to but take care of Rufus, keep him safe. I don't know what Kim will do if this fails and I die but at least you'll know the truth. I made a choice and now I'm going to deal the consequences of it."

Wade felt himself tearing up despite his every attempt not to. He should have hated Ron for lying to him, for everything that happened but he just couldn't, not anymore. Ron went to fight Kim knowing he would lose and probably die…he knew it was hopeless and he still went.

Wade looked down at Rufus who looked back at him with a mix of sadness and fear all his own, as if he to knew what Ron had done.

Rufus gave a small squeak as he spoke.

"Save Ron?"

Wade nodded.

"I'm going to try Rufus."

He set Rufus on his desk and began furiously typing. The broadcast had been over for just over an hour but maybe Ron hadn't gotten there yet, maybe he could call the cops, have them raid the station. He just pull up the right satellite and he'd be able to see everything and figure out what to do. Despite the number of firewalls and various security programs that attempted to stop him, Wade finally managed to hack into an orbiting surveillance satellite and focus it on the coordinates he had given Ron earlier. As he zoomed it's lens down through the atmosphere he prayed that he still had time to do something.

He felt his breath leave his body as the image came into focus. A squadron of police vehicles were parked around the outside of the studio as well as one ambulance. It was clear indication that a battle had taken place but not of it's outcome. Desperate Wade zoomed in as close as the satellite would allow and scanned the surrounding ground. If he couldn't see the body then maybe the environment could tell what happened. His heart dropped as he located two sets of footprints leading to a nearby pair windblown circular areas just beside the building. He had no idea how Ron had gotten there but a pair of footprint leading to what looked like the markings of a jet taking off meant that two people had left that area by air and the only pair of people like to use a jet to leave would have been Kim and Shego. It was crushing confirmation of what Wade had expected. Ron was the body likely in the ambulance which meant that Kim or Shego had been the one that put him there.

Rufus only gave out small sobbing squeaks and tiny tears as Wade told him what he had found. It was the worst thing Wade had ever had to do and for him it was the last straw. The full effect of everything that had happened, of everyone that had died, of the truth of what Kim had become, set upon him all at once and Wade, a genius in mind but a child in reality, just collapsed under the strain. His whole world had been build upon the belief that in a world of darkness there was a single light named Kim Possible that would always be there to shine as an example but now…now Wade didn't know what to believe. If he had helped Ron when he first asked maybe it would have been different…maybe Kim wouldn't have sunk as far as she did. The maybe's and if's of everything that had happened washed over him and Wade just let them come, and as he did he sank further and further is depression.

- - - - -

Wade's new found depression did not escape the notice of his parents but despite their best efforts Wade remained unchanged. At first they assumed it was due to the revelation of the death of his friend Ron Stoppable and the 'supposed' crimes of Kim Possible, though they didn't believe the lies about her, having seen how much she had helped their son over the years, yet as the days went on into weeks and Wade remained listless and sad they began to worry. When they tried asking him what was wrong he always gave the simple reply of the world and just sank back into his bed. They were, in truth, at their wits end with worry.

Wade knew what he was doing to his parents and yet he found himself unable to stop. With each piece of news about Kim Possible, her capture of Gemini, her manipulation of public support, Wade found himself more depressed and glum. What was the point in anything when the world was full of darkness and the bad guys would win? If someone like Kim Possible could turn bad then what hope was there for the world? What hope was there at all? Why fight then inevitable? It hadn't done Ron any good. He knew he was going to lose but he still fought and what did they get him? Nothing but killed.

- - - - -

It had only been that afternoon that the announcement that Betty Director was being removed as the head of Global Justice had been made but Wade knew nothing of it. He had spent the day as he had all past ones, locked in his room just lying on his bed, no reason to get up, no reason to care, just waiting for the darkness of the world to swallow him as it had everyone else. This rather bleak mindset was broken by a sudden sharp voice.

"Mr. Load!"

Wade sat up in shock, having jumped slightly at the sudden sound, and found that Betty Director was staring expectantly at him. He regarded her with a confused look.

"How do you keep breaching my security?"

"As I said Mr. Load, you are not the only one who is handy with a computer. However the specifics of how are irrelevant to this conversation. I will presume you have heard of Miss Possible's appointment as the new head of Global Justice."

Wade looked surprised by the news but soon returned to his glum look.

"Actually I hadn't. I haven't really be caring all the much anymore."

Betty gave him a slightly perplexed look.

"Oh? And why is that?"

"What's the point in caring?"

The answer did little to remove the perplexed look on Betty's face.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean what's the point? Kim spent her whole life fighting evil and helping people all it did was end up corrupting her. Ron tried to stop her and it got him killed, so tell me what's the point when evil always wins?"

Betty appeared as if she was considering the question.

"The point, Mr. Load, is in the fighting. There is a motto I live by, evil triumphs when good men do nothing. It means quite simply that if you do nothing to stop it then of course evil will win, but if you fight, if you rail against the darkness then you can prevail. If Miss Possible had not fought then you would not have been rescued from your kidnappers correct? If Mr. Stoppable hadn't fought then what would have happened to Miss Rockwaller all those many months ago in that warehouse? You may believe that darkness is everywhere Mr. Load, but it only takes a single flame to banish it."

"That's a lot of nice words for someone who lied to the world. Ron told me everything that happened before he went to fight Kim. You are part of the reason he's dead."

Betty looked momentarily regretful.

"I make no excuses for the mistakes I have made Mr. Load, but know that everything I have done was for the betterment of the world. Do I regret the deaths of Miss Rockwaller and Mr. Stoppable? More then you will ever know, but if I allow their deaths to be in vain then evil truly has won. I will not stand by and let Miss Possible get away with what she had done, I will not allow her to inflict her darkness on the entire world. That is why I am contacting you."

It was Wade's turn to look slightly perplexed

"What can I do?"

"You can stand with me Mr. Load. You have a choice. You can stay as you are now, wallowing in self pity and let Miss Possible win, let everything she has done become right and just, let everything Mr. Stoppable died for become pointless, or you can choose to be your own damn light in the darkness and follow in the steps of those who came before us and stand up against evil. The world is shaped by our choices for good or for ill Mr. Load, so make a choice. Give in and be just like the weak child you were when you kidnapped or grow a damned spine and fight for the world that you helped save for years."

Wade didn't say anything at first, he simply sat and considered what Betty had said. Finally he spoke, his intent clear.

"I can't. You want me to fight with you but the truth is I'm not a fighter. All I am is a kid, a computer geek whose better at hacking into systems then throwing a punch. I'm just not…enough, not against Kim."

Betty's single eye went cold.

"You disappoint me Mr. Load. I had thought that you had learned something while helping Miss Possible, I had thought you understood what kind of people the world needs to be saved from, instead you are wallowing in your fear and self pity, letting it control you. You are willing to allow all the good that Miss Possible ever did to become moot. I was correct when we first spoke Mr. Load, you are a coward."

For once it was Wade who cut the connection, the disappearing face of Betty Director still staring at him accusingly as it faded from his monitors. He didn't need to be talked down to by her, she simply didn't understand. If he fought he would lose, he knew it.

He silently walked back to his bead and laid down, hoping that at least sleep would quiet Betty's words which still echoed in his mind. He wasn't a coward he just…wasn't a fighter.

- - - - -

He had thought at first that he was dreaming, that the voices and sounds he was hearing was one from his own mind, but as they grew louder he slowly woke up and realized he wasn't dreaming them. Instead he found the voices and sounds coming from his own monitors, broadcasting out of each and every one. It took him a moment to shake the grogginess of sleep from his eyes before he realized what he was looking at.

The image of Kim Possible, Shego and Betty Director played out on his monitor, the two women fighting with savagery against the one eyed former head Global Justice. As Wade watch, Betty slammed against a wall and groaned, struggling to stand. She spoke as she did, her words accusatory.

"Was this what you did to Bonnie Rockwaller? To Ron Stoppable?"

It was Kim who replied as both she and Shego attacked, the green thief managing to catch Betty Director with a high kick to the stomach.

"Ron and Bonnie got what they deserved, just like you are."

It was that statement that made Wade realize the reality of what he was watching. He didn't know how, hell he didn't know it was possible, but it seemed he was receiving a direct feed from some camera as it watched the fight between the three women. Wade made a mad dash to his computer and began typing furiously, tracing the signal back to it's source. Unlike with the television broadcast Wade found this infinitely easier, quickly and easily navigating the waves of the signal back to it's source. It was, much to his surprise, the home of Betty herself and it's meaning was rather obvious. Kim and Shego had arrived to kill the former director of Global Justice and at that moment the only witness to what was going to happen was Wade himself.

Wade's mind raced as the scene continued to play out, Betty's reply echoing out as he watched her slam Kim in the side with her arm.

"What they deserved? They kissed behind your back and you tortured them for it, killed them for it. You are truly are insane if you think what you did was deserved. What about the rest of the world? Do they deserve what your going to do to them?"

What did she expect him to do? All he could do was watch her die, what choice did he have? It was at that thought that their earlier conversation resurfaced in his mind.

"I will not stand by and let Miss Possible get away with what she had done, I will not allow her to inflict her darkness on the entire world…You have a choice…be your own damn light in the darkness…grow a damned spine and fight for the world that you helped save…"

He knew he had a choice…he could let her die, no one would know….or he could try and save her….He had a choice. It was a loud snore from Rufus, who slept on a spare pillow at the head of his bed, that finally prodded him into the answer. He typed as quickly as he was able, hacking with ease into the local police dispatch computer. He was relieved to see that a according to the map two units were within a block of Betty's address. He quickly manipulated the computer into alerting the officers of the situation and waited.

He watched as the fight continued on his monitors, Kim finally scoring a decisive blow as she shattered the leg Betty had been supporting her stance with. As the women traded barbs and Kim positioned herself for her final strike, it was Betty's final words that cut the deepest into Wade.

"It always comes back to control…"

Betty had said he was letting his fear and self pity control him…maybe he had been but seeing Kim, seeing the way she was now, Ron had been right. That wasn't her, that was a monster and she needed to be stopped. Maybe he had been a coward, maybe he wasn't a fighter, but he had to do something, for once in his life he had to be his own light in the darkness.

Wade could only watch in horror as Kim slammed her foot down onto Betty's throat, killing her instantly. As Kim lifted her foot from the remnants of Betty's neck, the blood dripping from it, Wade felt the bile rise in his throat. It got no better as the initial relief Wade felt at the cop's arrival was soon vanquished as they themselves were. The feed died momentarily after that, itself a victim of degradation due to overexposure to Shego's radiation, though Wade would not realize that till much later.

At the moment he was consumed by the outcome of the event. He had failed…He had tried and still failed…worse his attempt had cost those police men their lives. He again felt the weight of everything pressing down on his mind, the easy route of slipping back into his pointless depression so tempting, but one thought held under the weight, one though kept surfacing about everything else. Betty had said it, Ron had said it as well…Choices matter. It was Ron's final words to him and perhaps they had been a prophecy…he had made a choice and now he had to deal with the consequences of it.

_- - - - - _

Wade shook himself from his memory and stared as the news crawls continued across his screens. Kim had been the head of Global Justice for just over 2 years now and the world was changing, slowly but surely and not for the better, though few saw it. It was his duty, his and others, to help the world see the truth and save it from what it was becoming.

Wade stretched as he turned back to his computer and yelled out.

"Rufus. How are we for time?"

Rufus poked his head out from where he had been working and glanced at the clock behind Wade. He still gave small squeaks when he spoke, at least to Wade's ears.

"Time good."

Wade chuckled and brought up the link he needed. There was only a short window of time each day when the link would work and he was glad his extended trip down memory lane hadn't wasted to much of it. As he waited for the connection to establish he returned to the thought that had triggered his memory trip. He had lost the battle for Kim because had chosen not to fight in it, he had wanted to stay on the sidelines and refused to act even when he was presented with the truth. It had taken seeing what she had become for himself to get him to finally act.

Wade Load was a thinker, not a fighter, so his first thought had been to get people who could fight in ways he was never able to. As the connection established itself and Yuri's face filled his screen he realized what a great thought it had been.


End file.
